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Gross Hypocrisy: Greatest Threat to US Security

What's in the best interest of the American people has become secondary to big business's pursuit of the dollar - as is clearly alleged above, by a multi billion-dollar business being willing to put the lives of a planeload of its passengers in jeopardy just to avoid a fine that amounts to a few pennies

[Beneath The Spin]

As the mainstream media continues to engage in its endless distraction over Senator Harry Reid stating the ridiculously obvious, New York's Black Star News is running an otherwise completely overlooked little story about the firing of Eric Amankwah, a 28-year-old Ghanian, by Delta Airlines for reporting a serious breach of security.

Amanakwah alleges that on January 2, a mere eight days after the Christmas Day attempt on Flight 253 over Detroit, he was instructed by his supervisor, Yvonne Green, to circumvent JFK security and deliver an unattended suitcase to an out-going flight without inspection. When he protested over the breach of security, he was advised by Ms. Green that he shouldn't worry about it.

It was done routinely. If the suitcase missed its connection Delta Airlines would be fined.

After carrying out Green's instructions, when Amanakwah returned Green was waiting for him with a second supervisor, Mohammad Taj, to which Ms. Green reported, "Eric completed the job." Taj then said, "Good," then left.

According to the Black Star article by Milton Allimadi, after discussing the matter with other Delta employees, Mr. Amanakwah began to have second thoughts about what he had been instructed to do, so he sent an e-mail up Delta Airline's chain of command, including one to Delta's CEO, Richard H. Anderson, expressing his concern over the matter. The following Tuesday he was fired.

Black Star News followed up on the story by publishing a request for any other airline employees with similar stories of security breaches to come forward. In response they were contacted by Ms. Mary Stewart-Joyce. She indicated that she was hired by Delta Airlines on May 8, 1997. She goes on to say:

"After completion of the new hire training I was assigned to the Federal Inspections Area at JFK. The lead supervisors were Mavis Thomas, Joseline Lucas, Alix Laincy and Danny Cronin: Mr. Cronin was my assigned supervisor.

"I was not signed up for the Port Authority security class and therefore was forced to work in FIS without the proper Port ID pass. This was a violation of Federal Law. I was told to turn my building access swipe card around and to wear it lengthwise behind my Delta ID so that it would 'look' as if I had a port ID."

Ms. Joyce indicated that she was finally sought out and detained by the customs office for failing to have the proper I.D. She was informed by the customs officer that they were told to find her on the floor and hold her so that Delta Airlines could be fined for breaching security. Later she was informed by a customs supervisor that he was the one who had ordered her picked up and held because he was "sick of Delta's total disregard for security."

Ms. Joyce goes on to relate other breaches by Delta Airlines. She says that she knew many of the things that she was instructed to do were a breach of security, but there was very little that she could do about it, because as a single mother, she feared termination. But at this point, she says, she's not only willing to come forward, but sign a deposition.

As horrible as the above incidents are, and as dangerous as they are to the flying public, they reflect a much greater danger to American society as a whole - the gross hypocrisy that is becoming indelibly ingrained into the very fabric of America. Lying, deceit, and the routine manipulation of the American people into a false sense of security have become a way of life byboth business and government alike.

Washington has become filled with politicians who were elected to represent the people, who have become nothing short of government-paid lobbyists for big business - Joe Lieberman has become the most obvious case in point.

What's in the best interest of the American people has become secondary to big business's pursuit of the dollar - as is clearly alleged above, by a multi billion-dollar business being willing to put the lives of a planeload of its passengers in jeopardy just to avoid a fine that amounts to a few pennies - and our government - most clearly demonstrated by Joe Lieberman's willingness to throw the welfare of 67% of his constituents under the bus for personal gain.

While Al Qaeda undoubtedly poses a threat to America, it doesn't even come close to the threat posed to America by the corruption, self-service, and total disregard of American ideals by an ever-growing bunch of demagogues and scoundrels that we've casually allowed to gain control over our lives.

And even as I write this sentence it's becoming progressively worse. They've seized control of the media, they're aggressively attacking, and have virtually destroyed our educational system, and have let us all but helpless to even understand what's happening to us.

America needs to understand that the time to become actively engaged in our own welfare has all but passed. We're already waste-deep in a class war.

Hyperbole? Just take a moment to consider how far we've declined since WWII. They tell us we're in a "war on terror." But who's fighting that war, and making all of the sacrifices? When America went to war during WWII, all of America was at war - the rich and poor, Black and White, young and old. But now, the only ones sacrificing for this so-called "war on terror" are thepoor and middle-class. The rich hopes it goes on forever, because they're benefitting from it greatly.

But they'll tell us, "Oh, no! It only looks unfair. The difference between now and WWII is that now we have a 'volunteer military'."'Volunteer military', my ass! Our military in nothing close to volunteer.

Our so-called 'volunteers' are made up of poor and middle-class young people who are there in lieu of a job, so they can try to get an education, and feed and insure their young families. One volunteers as an act of patriotism, not as an attempt to survive.

If that's not the case, the children of the rich certainly can't have much love for America, because they're volunteering in piss-poor numbers. Thus, calling our troops 'volunteers' is no more accurate than calling your trash man a volunteer. He didn't volunteer to collect the trash. He's doing the very same thing as our brave troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, simply trying to feed his family. He just doesn't have to die to do it.

So America, we need to wake up before it's too late. We're no longer living in the America we used to know. We're not safe, we can no longer trust what's in our food and water, there's nothing 'un-American' about placing your family's health before the insurance industry, and the country brimming over with demagogues, tycoons, and self-serving politicians who have wetdreams over the prospect of America attacked again.